I Should Go
by Colebeth
Summary: You just have to read it to find out.


**Hey all! Thank you for taking the time to read my story. It's my own personal twist that I thought would make a great story. I hope you like it. Please Reveiw!**

**I own nothing but the original characters.**

Chapter One:

It had been three years since Margaret Andrews had moved away from her home town, just long enough to get her culinary degree, but being back it was almost like she never left. Her family still lived in the same small town just north of Los Angeles, California. Its small town charm never changed; and it was the very same small town charm that made her leave in the first place. It is hard living in a place were everyone knows who you are and all of your business, especially under her circumstances. This time would be different though; she wouldn't let the town gossips or the dirty looks intimidate her. She was stronger now.

The position as the head caterer and chef of the cafe in the Gallery of Modern and Classic Art of Los Angeles was one that Maggie had dreamed of since the first time she stepped foot into the kitchen when her grandmother ran it. After her grandmother's recent retirement she worked herself harder than ever to take over her job. Now that she had she wasn't going to let anyone get in her way.

She had planned everything the night before. Her first day at her new job would go perfect. But of course that wasn't what fate had in mind. The power had gone off at some point it the night and turned her alarm off, causing her to loose the extra hour of prep time that she had given herself.

Luckily Josiah had woken her in time, while his fiancée, Gracie, had already gotten Maggie's two-year-old daughter up and ready for preschool. Gracie had been Maggie's childhood best friend and roommate since college. When she met and fell in love with Josiah, he moved in as well, and both had always helped with Livy, which made them the obvious choice as her godparents. Gracie even ran the daycare that Livy stayed at during the day, though Maggie still dropped her off everyday to give them special time together.

Before walking out the door of the small house she and her room-mates had just moved into, she took one final look in the mirror. She had finally decided on a plain black pencil skirt with a white blouse that made her look a bit more mature despite her age. Her mahogany hair was pulled half up to keep it off her face, with soft curls falling down her back. Her make up was simple but made her earthy brown eyes stand out. Her skin held it's usual creamy pallor though it was a little lighter than normal due to her lack of time in the sun recently.

Gracie had dressed Livy in a simple green long sleeved shirt under a denim jumper with little green flowers and tiny green leggings underneath. Maggie added a small denim jacket over the top and some green converse to finish off the little outfit, and also to keep the small child warm from the cold. The green in the outfit brought out the small child's slightly darker complexion. Her short nutmeg hair kept its natural curl that it held since birth, making it easy to just slip a bow in without too much work. Her big brown eyes always held an obvious emotion, whether she was sad or happy. She was an easy child, though she tended to get sick a lot, which was hard on her little body, eventually leading to the point where her illnesses took her hearing. Despite her health issues she was a smart, happy little girl who had everyone she met wrapped around her finger.

Maggie and Livy had enough time to stop and get breakfast at their favorite cafe next door to the daycare center. After their quick breakfast they took their time walking to the daycare center, Livy holding tightly to Maggie's hand.

Gracie met them at the front door to take Livy in; her dark red hair was down and wavy as always, with a warm smile on her beautiful but slightly tomboyish face, as they approached. They set this system up shortly after Gracie took the job at the center. It was easier to separate Livy from her mother if Maggie didn't go inside the center with her.

Maggie stopped at the door and knelt down next to Livy. "Alright, baby, I'll see you at home after I get off work. You behave for Aunt Gracie, alright?" She said, signing the message then pulling her into a tight hug.

"L-love you, M-momma," Livy stuttered out, making a small x across her chest after hugging Maggie back. Maggie smiled and helped her put her tiny backpack on before turning her so she could take Gracie's hand. Livy had learned to talk very well for not being able to hear, but still stuttered quite a bit though Maggie wouldn't change it. The stutter only added to Livy's cuteness

Gracie smiled and lifted the small girl up so she didn't have to bend and rested her on her hip. "Good luck today. Don't forget to call me on your break and let me know how it's going," She reminded as she leaned down slightly to give Maggie a hug.

Maggie nodded, knowing that Gracie would panic if she didn't hear from her at some point in the day. "I will. Take care of my baby," She said before turning to leave. She looked back one last time and waved goodbye to the two, then crossed the street to the subway entrance.

Maggie finally arrived at the gallery just in time for her meeting with the director. Maggie's heels clicked softly on the marble floor of the lobby as she entered the building. The lobby was everything you would expect for an art gallery, marble floors and statues. Even the reception desk had a marble top and what was more than likely a copy of a famous painting behind it. She smiled at the young woman behind the desk.

"Hi, I'm Maggie Andrews. I'm supposed to start here today," She said in her normal soft voice.

The young woman smiled. "Hi, I'm Caroline. You must be the new chef," She said, holding out her hand.

Maggie shook the girl's hand and said, "It's nice to meet you. Can you point me towards the director's office? I have an appointment with him."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Mr. Salvatore is late as usual and probably won't be here for a good half hour." Her obvious distain for the director came out clearly in her voice, giving a hint about how she felt about her boss.

"In his message he told me to be sure I wasn't late..." Maggie said her brow furrowing as she checked her watch to make sure she wasn't early.

"Oh, trust me, you aren't early. He just likes to show his authority by being fashionably late." She muttered, standing from her chair and moving around the desk, smoothing her skirt in the process. "I'll show you around until he gets here. I was just killing time till we open anyway."

Maggie sighed, slightly annoyed that her new boss would make such a big deal about her being on time if was just planning on being late himself. "Thank you, that would be great," She said, finally putting her sweet smile back on. She wouldn't let this ruin her first day, this was the job she had dreamed of for years and she was going to do what ever it took to make it work.

"Follow me," Caroline said before turning and walking from the lobby and down a hallway that led toward the back part of the gallery. Along the way she stopped to point out several rooms, such as the ball room that was used for important events, and the small theater area that was use for classical concerts. Maggie saw how much fun the girl was having giving the tour that she didn't have the heart to tell her she knew where everything was already. Her grandmother used to let her run free in the galleries when she would show up after school; sometimes some of the other employees even let her help with special events. Other than minor upgrades everything seemed to be the same.

"This room is where we showcase the most important pieces," Nicole explained as they moved through the first doorway. Maggie stopped there and took her time looking around, taking the chance to take in the whole room. She had a certain fondness for art that she could only pinpoint to having grown up around it. She moved to take a step closer to one of the sculptures, wanting to examine it a little closer. She was so focused on looking at the piece that she didn't notice the slight step down in the floor. She landed hard on the heel of her shoe, causing it to snap and her to stumble forward. As she stumbled she closed her eyes and braced herself, knowing that whether she connected with the floor or the statue it was going to hurt - but the pain never came. Instead she felt a pair of strong arms catch her around the waist.

Slowly, Maggie lifted her eyes, embarrassment making her hesitate. When she finally did look up, however, her breath caught. She found herself looking into a pair of hard eyes, the color of pure ice. Strands of tousled black hair fell across a proud forehead, which was slightly furrowed at the moment, brows drawn in over those stormy eyes. His lips were pressed together, a little too plump for a man. Hollow cheeks with sharp angles made up the rest of his face, somehow softening his equally sharply angled nose and strong jaw. In simple terms he was gorgeous.

"Thank you! Oh my God, I'm such a klutz!" Maggie laughed nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as looked up at the man who had saved her.

The man looked down at her for a second, and then set her back on her feet so quickly it almost made her dizzy. "Yeah. Just watch yourself, alright?" He told her, straightening his tie. "I don't have time to run around saving damsels in distress and priceless artifacts. It's not my job."

Maggie wobbled slightly as he let go of her and walked away without looking back. "Gee, thanks for the chivalry," She mumbled under her breath as Caroline came to steady her.

"A real charmer, isn't he?" Caroline said sarcastically once Maggie was steady again.

"Ugh, does he work here?" Maggie asked, examining her shoe. It was fixable; she just needed some glue. Three years of being a single mom in school had made her learn how to fix things like that.

"Umm, yeah, you could say that." Nicole chuckled dryly. "That," She waved her hand, nodding her head in the direction the man had left in, "Is Mr. Salvatore."

After fixing her shoe quickly Maggie followed Nicole to the elevator that was hidden from the public. After calling the elevator Nicole turned to Maggie and said "Just go to the top floor, there will be a reception desk just go tell her why you're here and she'll take you in for your meeting"

"Alright thanks for your help" Maggie said politely then stepped onto the elevator. She sighed and leaned back against the wall once she pressed the button for the top floor. She looked at herself in the mirrored doors in front of her, taking in her flushed cheeks and tousled hair from her incident. She quickly brushed her fingers through the curls and tucked the few pieces falling in her face back.

By the time the doors reopened she had almost fully prepared herself to go in and face whatever criticism her new boss would give. She stepped out and walked over to the reception desk careful not to put to much weight on her heel again.

The secretary was exactly what Maggie expected after her run-in with Mr. Salvatore, a leggy bleach blonde who's outfit was so short and tight Maggie was surprised she was able to sit down. She looked Maggie over before plastering on a fake smile so sweet it almost made you sick.

"Can I help you?" she asked in an equally sweet tone.

"Yes I have meeting with Mr. Salvatore," she said trying her hardest to keep from sounding as annoyed as she was.

"Name?" the girl demanded turning to type on her computer.

"Maggie Andrews but it may be under Marg-"

"Follow me" she interrupted standing and walking away from her desk without bothering to see in Maggie followed.

They stopped in front of what seemed to be one of the larger office doors that were down the hall from the secretary's small desk. The girl knocked on the door before opening it and stepping aside so Maggie could enter.

It truly was a large office; two of the four walls were covered with dark rosewood bookshelf's the other two had various pieces of artworks that probably cost more than Maggie's house. The walls were a dark shade of gray that created an interesting contrast against the white tile that covered the floor. Her eyes finally feel on a large wooden desk in the middle of the room that matched the wood of the bookshelves. At it sat a figure that under normal circumstances would have made Maggie run immediately to the exit or at least hide. Her new boss. The man she had already humiliated herself royally in front of. He sat leaning over several important looking documents that he seemed to find more important than looking up to see who had entered his office.

His secretary continued into the room till she stood in front of the desk leaning forward as if she couldn't resist showing off her insane amount of cleavage. She smiled in a seductive manner and said "Mr. Salvatore, Miss Andrews is here to see you" her tone making Maggie want to gag.

Without lifting his head he glanced up through his eyelashes, at seeing Maggie a smirk began to form on his lips making her regret not running when she had the chance. "Have a seat Miss Andrews." He said in an amused tone before dismissing his secretary with a flick of his hand.

Maggie moved to one of the chairs in front of his desk as the secretary closed the door with a pout. She sat and waited for him to look up or speak again but he simply went back to examining the papers in front of him. After a few moments Maggie was tired of being ignored so she cleared her throat. He slowly looked up at her and raised an eyebrow "Is there a reason you wanted to meet with me or are you just going to continue to ignore my presence?" She asked.

"Yes Miss. Andrews I am aware of your presence" he said in a patronizing tone "And I do have a reason for wanting to see you, but seeing as how you fell into my arms I figured we could skip the awkward introductions"

Her cheeks flushed instantly at the reminder of her earlier embarrassment. "What reason did you want to meet with me?" She asked looking down, slightly uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"Fine then I suppose we can just get right to the point. If you are planning on keeping this position then you need to know what I expect from you" He said finally putting the paperwork down to give her his full attention. "Your grandmother was one of this gallery most loved and valued employees and I expect no less than perfection from you. She is insistent that you are a better chef than her but I find that highly unlikely. I would never argue that fact to a proud family member, but never-the-less if you are any disappointment at all you will be let go of."

She looked at him wide eyed and slightly taken aback by his words "I-"

He cut her off quickly by raising his hand which only served to make her angry. "Now you were able to forgo the interview process in order to show our faith in your grandmother's choice in her successor. But I will still want to observe how well you work before we make this position any more permanent. So once I dismiss you, I will give you till one to go meet your staff then you will prepare a small version of what you will have for a typical everyday menu and also start a first draft of what you will serve at our gala in two weeks. I will come down every twenty minutes to monitor your progress and work ethic. After that-"

"I'm sorry but I'm going to stop you right there." Maggie said standing up quickly "First off, my grandmother would have never chosen me for this job if I wasn't the absolute best for this job, and I don't appreciate you insinuating that the only reason I was hired was because of her. Second you will learn very quickly Mr. Salvatore, that I do not handle being dismissed very well. And finally don't bother monitoring me' I will have what you asked for and bring it up to you by noon" She said grabbing her bag from beside her chair. "Now I believe we are done here unless you have some other way you wish to insult me"

He stood placing both hands on his desk and leaning forward, his eyes turning a darker shade of blue. "You may not handle being dismissed very well, but I do not handle being spoken to that way by my employees at all. I can and will make your employment here a living hell Miss Andrews."

She mimicked his position leaning as close to him as she dared and in as strong a voice as she could said "Give me your best shot"

With that she put a sweet smile on her face, enjoying his stunned look on his face, and turned and walked out of the room without another word.

**PLEASE REVEIW!**


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